Bonolota
As she stopped to catch her breath, Rini looked back and saw and the lush green meadow down she left behind. It was overlooking the rocky hillock. The sun was about to bid farewell to yet another day. Though it was almost spring, the north winds leisurely whistled through the lands, inviting the evening. The sun has already reached its horizon by that time.
Rini sat on a rock. She started gazing at the changing world around her. From the day she arrived in Baranti at her aunt’s house, she would take a long, unhurried walk to this hillock before dusk wrapped up in this sleepy town of Purulia. The serenity of the natural lake and the silence of the low hills would make her feel serene. The twittering of the birds sounded like music to her ears and her eyes could never get enough of the blue sky coursing through the trees as they turned fiery with the vermilion Palash flower in bloom.
A light lunch today caused her to be late for the walk. She didn’t get much time to appreciate nature. She was afraid that her Aunt might be anxious if it gets too dark. As the shadows became longer, Rini tied her shoelaces and got ready to reach home.
She started walking hurriedly along on the road, but it was already dark. The silence slowly and swiftly overtook the surroundings. The dim street lights were few and far between. The faint noise of a bird made Rini a little worried. Her Aunt would be really angry, she thought. Suddenly she heard the distant bark of a puppy on the other side of the road. Rini went nearer. The little puppy looked at her. The sight of Rini made the puppy frightened. Rini sat and picked her up in her two arms, cuddled her. The puppy submitted to her arms. Rini started walking slowly towards home, wrapped a silky scarf around her new-found gift. She now had a companion. She would not be afraid of the darkness anymore.
She had always been very passionate about animals.
It seemed that nature gifted her the puppy so that Rini could continue to love nature fearlessly, for all times to come.